Athletic shoe having spike or stud-shaped cleats exchangeably arranged at the running sole

ABSTRACT

A running sole for athletic shoes, wherein exchangeably arranged cleats of a row of cleats are fastened by a common holding means which differs from known holding means of this type in that it is lighter in weight and simpler to handle. The cleats have base parts which are inserted into openings in the running sole and are fastened by spring or form-fitting means, so that they cannot twist about their longitudinal axis. The base parts have at least one borehole in alignment with lateral boreholes in the running sole in each row of cleats, so that, by means of the insertion of a single tube- or rod-shaped shaft into the lateral boreholes, all of the cleats of a respective row are fastened to the sole.

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to an athletic shoe having spike- or stud-shapedcleats exchangeably arranged in rows of openings in the running sole,each row of cleats being fastened to the sole by a single holding means.

In the case of the known athletic shoes of this type, threaded insertsmade of aluminum, steel or a similar material are cast or pressed intothe running sole made of a plastic material, such as polyamide orpolyurethane. The spike- or stud-shaped cleats, such as spikes, claws,studs or similar means, are screwed directly into these threadedinserts. In order to ensure a somewhat tight fit of the cleats, theymust be tightened to the limit, if possible, by means of a tool madeespecially for that purpose. The result is that the thread of theinserts is often unintentionally strained to the extent that it becomesuseless after only a few exchanges. The latter is especially true when,for reasons of weight reduction, instead of the steel inserts, insertsare used that are made of a lighter material, such as aluminum. Theseand other disadvantages occur also when, in order to make the cleatsexchangeable, snap fasteners of the press-stud type are used instead ofthreaded inserts. This type of fastening has the additional disadvantagethat a twisting of the inserted profiles is hard to avoid, especially inthe case of excessive strain.

It has been tried to eliminate the disadvantage of the above-mentionedform of mountings for the cleats by fastening the cleats on separatestrips having trapezoidal cross sections arranged transversely to thelongitudinal axis of the sole. These strips are pushed intocorrespondingly shaped dovetailed grooves of the running sole (compareDE-OS No. 25 35 623). Here, the strip, on the one hand, adjoins thestanding edge of the running sole and is, on the other hand, fastened bymeans of a plastic mounting stud screwed only into the strip, with saidplastic mounting stud, with its part that projects over the strip,reaching into a recess in the shape of a borehole disposed in the bottomof the groove. This construction has the disadvantage that the smallplastic screws are stressed with respect to shearing when the profiledparts and, thus, the strips are affected by forces in the direction ofthe sliding-in side. This type of fastening, therefore, does not ensurea rapid exchange or replacement of the strips with the pertainingcleats, especially when the stress has caused the small plastic screw tobreak off. Such constructions are, therefore, rarely used in practice.

On the basis of DE-AS No. 13 00 842, it is also known to fix severalcleats, arranged next to one another in a row, by means of a jointretaining plate with keyhole-shaped openings which is inserted into alaterial opening of the running sole, so that the keyhole-shapedopenings of the retaining plate are made to coincide with open recessesin the running sole. The cleats are inserted into the openings of therunning sole so that they reach through the keyhole-shaped openings inthe retaining plate. The round heads of the cleats have slot-shapednotches. After a relative shift between the retaining plate and thecleats in the long, approximately rectangular opening part of thekeyhole-shaped openings, the heads of the cleats having the notchessupport themselves on the retaining plate. It is the disadvantage ofthis construction that the retaining plate is the sole securing means ofthe cleats with respect to all types of stress. Because of the deep,groove-shaped notches in the heads of the cleats, the cleats areparticularly endangered with respect to breakage through shearingforces. In addition, the retaining plate must be constructed so as to berelatively sturdy because it is the sole holding element for the cleats.This results in a considerable increase in weight which, in most cases,is not acceptable.

The invention is, therefore, based on the objective of providing aholding means for the exchangeably arranged cleats of the running soleof an athletic shoe that, in comparison to the known holding means, islighter, simpler to handle, as well as more reliable and more durable,and that makes it possible for the athlete to himself/herself providehis/her athletic shoes very rapidly with cleats that are optimallyadapted to the respective sport and soil condition.

According to preferred embodiments of the invention, this objective, inthe case of an athletic shoe of the initially-mentioned type, isachieved by means of the fact that the base parts of the cleats arefastened in the openings of the running sole in a manner so that theycannot be twisted about their longitudinal axis, and wherein base partsof the cleats have at least one borehole that is alignable with lateralboreholes in the running sole in each row of cleats to form a continuousborehole, a shaft being provided as a fastening means for each of saidrow of cleats, so that, by means of the insertion of a single said shaftinto said continuous borehole, all of the cleats of a respective row ofcleats is fastened jointly to said holding means.

The athletic shoe according to the invention has the advantage, over theknown athletic shoes, that the base parts of the cleats, irrespective oftheir cross section, are inserted into openings of the running sole, sothat they are always firm with respect to twisting and cannot be lost. Ashaft penetrates the running sole transversely and represents anadditional holding element that is not stressed with respect to shearingand may, therefore, be formed so as to be comparatively thin and, thus,light. Because of the small dimensions of the transversely-extendingshaft, a weakening of the actual running sole can also be avoided,because this shaft can always be housed only in an additionalstrip-shaped holding means of the running sole. Because of the lowstress produced, a hollow shaft may even be used, so that the addedweight is practically without significance.

It is especially advantageous to provide the base parts, arranged at theedge of the running sole along their shaft, with several fasteningpoints. Thus, varying lengths of grip may be obtained with one and thesame base part, which is an advantage inventory-wise, because the samecleat can be used for varying purposes.

Another advantage is that the bolt-shaped holding parts, at thefastening points of the running sole, may be formed to have the shape ofa half shell and may be provided with a wedge-shaped recess, as well aswith joints, that have the same shape on both sides, which are used forreceiving the base part. In this manner, the base part is mounted in thewedge-shaped recess, so that it can be swivelled in the direction of thelongitudinal axis of the sole. Consequently, the cleats, even in thecase of a very bent running sole, can be removed from the track or fromthe playing field always in a vertical or at least largely in a verticaldirection, which not only saves strength, but also especially avoids, toa great extent, damage to the cleat or the playing field.

These and further objects, features and advantages of the presentinvention will become more obvious from the following description whentaken in connection with the accompanying drawings which show, forpurposes of illustration only, several embodiments in accordance withthe present invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a plan view of the tread of the sole of an athletic shoeaccording to the invention;

FIG. 2 shows a cross section along the line II--II in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3, at a very enlarged scale, shows one mounting point or the lockof an opening on the side of the edge for a tube- or rod-shaped shaftserving as a fastening means;

FIG. 4, also at a very enlarged scale, shows another mounting point forthe shaft which, at the same time, has a lock formed in the manner of aquarter-turn fastener;

FIG. 5 shows a cross section through a part of the edge of the runningsole, at a very enlarged scale, with a spike which has only one singlefastening point on its base part;

FIG. 6 shows a similar cross section through a part of the edge of therunning sole with a spike which, on its base part, has two fasteningpoints, an upper fastening point being shown in use and a lowerfastening point shown held in readiness;

FIG. 7 shows an arrangement where, in the case of a run-down profilepoint, the original height of the profile is restored or a larger heightof the profile is obtained, either by using the lower fastening point orby inserting a filler piece;

FIG. 8 shows another embodiment for obtaining a variable height of theprofile, where a square base part is equipped with several notchessurrounding it either partially or completely, with a wedge-shaped part,pressed in by a set screw, engaging in said notches in order to fix therespective height;

FIG. 9 shows an arrangement that is comparable to that of FIG. 8, butwhere the cleat has a cylindrical base part and the height of theprofile can be changed by means of a correspondingly formed wedge-shapedpart;

FIG. 10 shows a cross section of the wedge-shaped part as it wouldappear in a plan view taken along the line X--X of FIG. 8;

FIG. 11 shows a cross section of the wedge-shaped part as it wouldappear in a plan view taken along the line XI--XI of FIG. 9;

FIG. 12 shows the lower end of a base part of a spike or stud having aspreading element in an opening of the sole, at a location where thebase part of the spike or the stud has not yet reached its operativeposition;

FIG. 13 shows the base part fully inserted into its operative position,with a fastening shaft inserted therethrough and with the spreadingelement in its operative position;

FIG. 14 shows a holding member formed as a half shell with outside andinside parts of the same shape which are flexibly assembled; and

FIG. 15 shows the embodiment of FIG. 14, where a sloping position of thecleat is represented.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

With reference to FIG. 1, the running sole of an athletic shoe accordingto the invention has the number 1, and bolt- or strip-shaped holdingmeans, extending transversely to the longitudinal axis 2 of the sole,preferably in the form of sole reinforcements that are integrated withthe running sole 1, have the number 3. The holding means 3 have openings4 which extend in rows at a distance from one another, and eitherpenetrate the whole running sole 1 or penetrate into the running sole 1only far enough as to still leave a relatively thin wall at the insidesurface of the sole and, therefore, form blind holes, as they are, forexample, shown in FIG. 2.

Base parts 5 of spike- or stud-shaped cleats 6, having the same shapeand size as the openings 4, are inserted into said openings 4, i.e., thebase parts 5 are inserted into the openings 4, preferably by means of asliding or pressing fit. All types of spikes, claws or studs may be usedas cleats 6, such as they are conceivable and are used in the case ofathletic shoes.

As shown in FIG. 1, the shape of the cross section of the base parts 5of the cleats 6 may be polygonal, for example, square or rectangular;however, circular cross sections or cross sections having the shape of asegment of a circle may also be used for the base parts 5. In the caseof polygonal shapes of the cross section of the base parts, the fitbetween the inside wall of the openings 4 and the circumference of thebase parts 5 does not have to be too close because the twisting forcesexercised on the cleats are distributed evenly and over a large area atthe wall sections of the openings 4, and can, therefore, be welltolerated. However, in the case of a circular cross section of the baseparts 5, it is advantageous to dimension the fit to be somewhat closer,so that the twisting forces are not absorbed exclusively by theirfastening means 7. The fastening means 7 are in the form of a tube- orrod-shaped shaft and penetrate the cleat bases 5. Enabling the bases ofthe cleats to limit the load transmitted to the fastening means has theconsiderable advantage that the shaft 7 may be dimensioned to becorrespondingly thinner, so that a considerable amount of weight can besaved in comparison to known strip-shaped retaining plates. The crosssection of the shaft 7 may be arbitrarily selected of any form. Inaddition to round shafts, those with an angular cross section may alsobe used.

The shaft 7 is inserted into a hole 8 in the side of the sole, at eitheredge A or B. The hole 8 extends through the running sole 1 as acontinuous borehole in the bolt- or strip-shaped holding means 3. Thebase parts 5 of the cleats 6 have corresponding boreholes 8a, 8b, (FIG.2), which are aligned with the borehole 8 in the running sole 1, or inthe holding means 3, so that all of the cleats 6 of a row of cleats maybe fastened jointly on a common shaft 7. As shown in FIG. 2, the holdingmeans has a height H (delineated by broken line D) that is larger thanthe diameter of boreholes 8, and a center line through the boreholeslies in the center plane M of the holding means 3.

For the mounting of the shaft 7 in place, the boreholes 8, in the areaof the edge A of the sole 1, have a head-shaped enlargement 9, whichcreates a collar 9a which surrounds and supports the shaft 7 adjacentthereto, and into which a head-shaped enlargement 9b, at the end of theshaft 7, is received. Reference is made in this respect to thebroken-away part C of the running sole 1 in FIG. 1, wherein shaft 7 isexposed, as well as to the cross-sectional view of FIG. 2.

In the area of the other edge B of the sole 1, the boreholes 8 may havea head-shaped enlargement 10, into which the threaded nuts 10b can beinserted and screwed onto a corresponding threading on the shaft ends10a. Thus, a fixing of all of the cleats 6 is obtained in a manner thatcan be released simply within any row of cleats, enabling a rapidreplacement or exchange of any cleats of a row of cleats.

Another type of a releasable fastening of the shaft 7 in the borehole 8,in the manner of a quick-locking means, is shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, whereFIG. 3 shows the edge A of the sole and FIG. 4 shows the edge B of thesole.

The quick-locking means shown there is formed as a bayonet lock. In thiscase, the end of the shaft 7 is, for example, on the A side of the edgeof the sole, pressed against a plug 11, inserted or case in there, andconsisting of a rubber-elastic material. The other side of the shaft 7on the B side of the edge of the sole may (as shown in FIG. 4 at anenlarged scale) be provided with a key-bit shaped bend 12 which isinserted in a horizontal orientation, to an extent that it acts againstthe elastic force of the plug 11, in the direction of the arrow 13, isthen slightly turned around the longitudinal axis of the shaft 7 (whereit assumes the broken line position in FIG. 4), and is then immediatelyreleased again, in which case, the bend 12 is biased by the resiliencyof plug 11 against the somewhat recessed wall 14 of a pocket-shapedenlargement 15 (solid line position of FIG. 4), so that the base parts 5are held without screws and cannot be lost.

Instead of the rubber-elastic stopper 11, a spring, such as a small flatspring, may be inserted or cast into the opening 9 so as to have thesame effect.

In order to be able to rotate the shaft, it is advantageous to providesaid shaft 7, on the freely accessible side of the edge B of the sole 1,with a slot 16 into which a tool may be inserted.

FIG. 5 shows an embodiment of the invention where the base part 5 of thecleat 6 is not held, in the opening 4, directly by means of a snug fit,but is fastened in the opening 4 in an inserted piece 17. In addition, aform-fit fastening of the base part 5 within the inserted piece 17 isprovided. For this purpose, the base part 5 is provided with asurrounding or at least partially surrounding groove 18, into which, ina form-fitting manner, the correspondingly dome-shaped end 19 of a screw20 engages, with said screw 20 being inserted into the screw thread 21on the side of the edge A of the sole 1. For an additional guiding andmounting of the shaft 7, the screw 20 is preferably provided with a wavyborehole 22 into which one end of shaft 7 is inserted. The edges 23, 24of the groove 18 also enhance the form-fitting holding of the cleat 6 byproviding an additional friction fit on the inside wall of the insertedpiece 17. This type of fastening of the cleats 6 is especially suitablewhen the athletic shoes having these cleats 6 are used on very hard toicy soil or bases.

In order to be able to use less cleats for one or several rows, or inorder to balance the wear of the cleats, it is advantageous to providethe base parts 5 used in the areas near the edges A, B with severalfastening points, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7. In FIG. 6, the upperfastening point 25 is shown in the operative position, while thefastening point 26 is in readiness. FIG. 7 shows the lower fasteningpoint 26 in the operative position. The other parts of this arrangementhave the same reference numbers as in FIG. 5.

In order to fill out the corresponding gaps between the bottom of thebases 5 and openings 4, intermediary pieces 27 and 28, made, forexample, of a light metal or a plastic material, may be inserted.

The constructions according to FIGS. 8 and 9 show other examples of howthe difference in height resulting from the wear of the profiles can bebalanced in a more closely stepped manner, or how cleats of variousheights can be made available in the areas near the edges A, B of thesole.

For this purpose, FIG. 8 shows a cleat with a base part 5 having asquare cross section, and FIG. 9 a cleat with a circular cross section.In addition, FIG. 8 shows a base part with a new cleat 6, while thecleat 6 in FIG. 9 has already been worn down (from the broken line size,corresponding to that of FIG. 8) by the distance E and has been newlyadjusted and fastened in a position raised by a distance correspondingto the difference of height E.

In both cases, the fastening of the base parts 5 takes place by means ofa wedge-shaped part 29 which, in each case, is pressed by a screw 30into a groove 21 that reaches completely or partially around the basepart 5 of the cleat 6. In addition, the shaft 7 may be pushed into theconcerned base parts 5 and may be mounted in recesses 32 of thewedge-shaped parts 29 (FIGS. 10 and 11). Furthermore, the wedge-shapedparts 29 have pegs 33 that are inserted into a borehole 34 of the setscrew 30 and are, therefore, guided thereby.

FIG. 12 shows an opening 4 in the running sole 1, into which the basepart 5 of a cleat 6, with the borehole 8 for the shaft 7, is not yetcompletely inserted, i.e., has not yet been brought into the operativeposition. A spreading element 35 is arranged at the bottom side of thebase part 5 which may, for example, be a plate spring in the shape of acrescent having claw-shaped extensions at the sides ending in a point.As soon as the base part 5 is brought into its operative position, andthe shaft 7 has been pushed further through the borehole 8, as shown inFIG. 13, the claw-type extensions 36 will be pressed into the adjacentmaterial and held in a stretched position.

In the case of the arrangements shown in FIGS. 14 and 15, the bolt- orstrip-shaped holding means 3, disposed transversely to the longitudinalaxis 2 of the sole, have approximately the shape of half shells. Thecleat 6 has a supporting part 37 which, on the one hand, rests fully onthe collar 38 of the cleat and, on the other hand, on the opposite side,has the shape of a segment of a circle having the same curvature as theouter part of the half shell of the holding means 3. At this location,the holding means 3 has a wedge-shaped recess 39 filled with an elasticcompressible material 40. Especially suitable for use as such a materialis a foamed plastic, such as foamed polyurethane or foamed silicones. Arecess 41, through which the base part 5 extends, is provided in thecompressible material 40. At the concave (inner) side of the holdingmeans 3, a joint 42, having the shape of a segment of a cylinder andhaving the borehole for the shaft 7, is inserted, and an end piece 43 ofuniform thickness is placed behind said joint 42. In this manner, theprofile of the cleat 6 is perpendicular to the surface plane of thesole. This embodiment permits the cleat 6 to be placed diagonally at acertain angle α, as shown in FIG. 15. The result is that it is possibleto disengage the cleats from the track or the playing field in adirection normal or almost normal thereto, which saves strength andimproves performance, as well as serving to protect the track or theplaying field, because the flexible mounting of the cleats 6 makes itpossible to avoid damage, such as cracks or rips of the correspondingground or ground covering material.

When the above-described cleats are inserted into the correspondingopenings with a snug fit, which applies especially to cleats having acylindrical base part, corresponding tools can be provided in order tomake it possible to exchange such cleats also.

The invention is suitable for athletic shoes with any type of cleat. Inaddition to balancing the height and decreasing the types of requiredcleats, the ability of the cleats to disengage from the ground by meansof the flexible mounting of the cleats in the running sole, whichprotects covers and playing fields, is one of the important advantagesmaking this invention different from the known arrangements.

While I have shown and described various embodiments in accordance withthe present invention, it is understood that the same is not limitedthereto, but is susceptible of numerous changes and modifications asknown to those skilled in the art, and I, therefore, do not wish to belimited to the details shown and described herein, but intend to coverall such changes and modifications as are encompassed by the scope ofthe appended claims.

I claim:
 1. An athletic shoe having a running sole in which spike- orstud-shaped cleats are exchangeably mounted, said running sole havingrows of openings and said cleats having base parts which are received insaid rows of openings of the running sole, each row of cleats beingfastened to the sole by means of a single holding means that isinsertable and lockable on a side of the running sole, wherein the baseparts of the cleats are fastened in the openings of the running sole ina manner so that they cannot be twisted about their longitudinal axis,and wherein base parts of the cleats have at least one borehole that isalignable with lateral boreholes in the running sole in each row ofcleats for form a continuous borehole, a shaft being provided a afastening means for each of said row of cleats, so that, by means of theinsertion of a single said shaft into said continuous borehole, all ofthe cleats of a respective row of cleats is fastened jointly to saidholding means, wherein said holding means is provided with a releasablelocking means, and wherein the releasable locking means is a bayonetlock comprising the shaft, being provided, at one end, with akey-bit-shaped bend and, at its other end, being supported by aresilient element, and said borehole having a pocket-shaped enlargement,whereby said bend is engageable within the pocket-shaped enlargement ofthe borehole by means of an axial displacement of said shaft against theresilient element followed by a rotation of the shaft about itslongitudinal axis.
 2. An athletic shoe according to claim 1, whereinsaid shaft is tube-shaped.
 3. An athletic shoe according to claim 1,wherein the resilient element is a head-shaped enlargement which isreceived in an enlargement at the continuous borehole.
 4. An athleticshoe according to claim 3, wherein the base parts of the cleats,arranged near an edge of the running sole, are provided with at leasttwo fastening points along their length, whereby said cleats aresecurable in more than one position relative to said openings.
 5. Anathletic shoe according to claim 1, wherein said holding means arestrip-shaped and extended transversely to the longitudinal axis of thesole, and wherein each row of said openings is formed in a respectiveholding means.
 6. An athletic shoe according to claim 3, wherein thestrip-shaped holding means have a height that is larger than thediameter of the lateral boreholes, and a center line through saidboreholes being located approximately in the center plane of thestrip-shaped holding means.
 7. An athletic shoe according to claim 3,wherein the resilient element is a head-shaped enlargement which isreceived in an enlargement at the continuous borehole.
 8. An athleticshoe having a running sole in which spike- or stud-shaped cleats areexchangeably mounted, said running sole having rows of openings and saidcleats having base parts which are received in said rows of openings ofthe running sole, each row of cleats being fasened to the sole by meansof a single holding means that is insertable and lockable on a side ofthe running sole, wherein the base parts of the cleats are fastened inthe openings of the running sole in a manner so that they cannot betwisted about their longitudinal axis, and wherein base parts of thecleats have at least one borehole that is alignable with lateralboreholes in the running sole in each row of cleats for form acontinuous borehole, a shaft being provided a a fastening means for eachof said row of cleats, so that, by means of the insertion of a singlesaid shaft into said continuous borehole, all of the cleats of arespective row of cleats is fastened jointly to said holding means,wherein the base parts of the cleats, arranged near an edge of therunning sole, are provided with at least two fastening points alongtheir length, whereby said cleats are securable in more than oneposition relative to said openings.
 9. An athletic shoe according toclaim 8, wherein securing elements comprising pressure elements,operable for pressing a respective base part against a wall of anopening in the sole within which the base part is inserted, areprovided.
 10. An athletic shoe according to claim 9, wherein thepressure elements, at the same time, serve as a bearing for a respectiveshaft.
 11. An athletic shoe according to claim 8, wherein securingelements comprising spreading elements, secured to a respective basepart and operable for securing the base part within an opening in thesole by means of a spreading claw, are provided.
 12. An athletic shoeaccording to claim 8, wherein the shaft, at one end, is provided with ahead-shaped enlargement which is received in an enlargement at thecontinuous borehole, while its other end is equipped for the mounting ofa releasable locking means.
 13. An athletic shoe according to claim 12,wherein securing elements comprising pressure elements, operable forpressing a respective base part against a wall of an opening in the solewithin which the base part is inserted, are provided.
 14. An athleticshoe according to claim 13, wherein the pressure elements, at the sametime, serve as a bearing for a respective shaft.
 15. An athletic shoehaving a running sole in which spike- or stud-shaped cleats areexchangeably mounted, said running sole having rows of openings and saidcleats having base parts which are received in said rows of openings ofthe running sole, each row of cleats being fastened to the sole by meansof a single holding means that is insertable and lockable on a side ofthe running sole, wherein the base parts of the cleats are fastened inthe openings of the running sole in a manner so that they cannot betwisted about their longitudinal axis, and wherein base parts of thecleats have at least one borehole that is alignable with lateralboreholes in the running sole in each row of cleats for form acontinuous borehold, a shaft being provided a a fastening means for eachof said row of cleats, so that, by means of the insertion of a singlesaid shaft into said continuous borehole, all of the cleats of arespective row of cleats is fastened jointly to said holding means,wherein said holding means have the shape of half shells provided withat least one wedge-shaped recess, a supporting part and a joint beingprovided on opposite sides of said recess for receiving a respectivebase part of a cleat, whereby the cleat having the base part received inthe wedge-shaped opening can be swivelled in a direction of alongitudinal axis of the sole.
 16. An athletic shoe according to claim15, wherein, for enabling readjustment of the cleat to a normal positionperpendicular to a running surface of the sole, the wedge-shaped recessis filled with an elastically-compressible material.
 17. An athleticshoe according to claim 16, wherein a foamed plastic material isprovided as the elastically-compressible material.